EA Continue to Implement Pay-to-Win In Full Retail Games

Sean Halliday of Pixel Gate writes:

''EA’s approach to DLC has been something that detracts from their games for the most part. After destroying the concept of a balanced playing field in Fifa Ultimate Team, EA has now already destroyed the same concept in their new UFC game. Day-one DLC is nearly always annoying; it almost always feels like it’s cheapening the product. So what’s the issue in EA Sports UFC? Bruce Lee.''
(EA Sports UFC, FIFA 14, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

They should NEVER have paid DLC that is a requirement to finish the game if you've already bought the game. Paid DLC that can be used to improve your chances in online games against others playing shouldn't be there either.

The sad thing about EA is they are continually stripping away parts of the game and charging for it. What's next, removing game manuals and charging for that too? Oh wait, what game manuals?

It's fact, not fanboys. The reason why they don't have the time to put the content in is because EA forces short development times. So then when the content is FINALLY ready they nickel and dime it from you.

that's true, but the thing is that EA does care about its public image because it deals directly with consumers, a military sub-contractor or a pharmaceutical research company nobody has heard of and that works in the shadows would not care about getting that award and won't change their practices because of it. EA might

The best solution for this bullcrap is ignorance, don't buy their products, don't give them publication and if you do make sure it's negative. EA is the worst gaming company ever. Period. Activision wishes they're half as bad as Electronic Sh%#.

I am not a big fan of EA either, but I am handle them like every other publisher.

They get my money and appreciation everytime they deliver well crafted experiences. (e.g. Dragon Age Origins, Masseffect 1 etc.) They get ignorance and a closed wallet for all mediocrity and bullshit - sadly that's very often the case lately.

they have killed FIFA ULTIMATE TEAM. fifa coins and ripp off packs,people selling coins on ebay etc. when i was a kid ,gaming was amazing and people knew if you had a certain gun you earned it,these days u can just buy it on release day as a booster

Think I'm done with EA. I don't want to buy FIFA 15 and am hoping that people don't but unfortunately they will. It is gamers who can kill off microtransactions and DLC by not purchasing them but it seems SOME modern gamers are too stupid or ignorant to see this and instead blithely keep handing over wads of cash that sees this rubbish become mainstream.

I agree, I hate pay 2 win dlc as well but there's one thing that is tricky to compare... Bruce Lee should be ridiculous LMFAO... In real life, if he had been in the UFC, he very well would have dominated in multiple divisions so technically he's proportionate to his real life counter-part ( well as far as a game goes any way). I get the point but the Bruce Lee thing is actually rather hard to balance and argue.

This is why I never touched Ultimate Team in NHL. I was playing with extremely crap teams, and others that paid for packs had all-star teams put together. It was sad seeing my skaters barely able to keep up, what's the fun in that?

Haven't bought a single pack at all, I just stick to single player. If the day comes I need to pay for stuff in that area too I will just go to GameStop and ask them to burn all the discs.

I throw money at Nintendo and google aswell. and I look like kratos hence the pic. I make u sad lol don't take life so seriously. ms are just as bad as ea and other greedy penny pinching American corporations. I don't love sony they killed micheal Jackson no love from me but I do love me some playstation

This is why I've kept the games I bought from EA last gen to a minimum (only 6 games from them last gen). I sure as hell don't buy their crappy annual games and I don't like pay to win either. Looks like the same will be happening this gen.

I understand a lot of peoples points in the comments, but almost none of them have anything to do with this article. Bruce Lee isn't p2w DLC. He came with preorders and can be unlocked by completing the Hard difficulty. In case you didn't read the article, that bit of information was in there. Not all EA games are p2w. BF premium members get nothing that would improve their ability to play the game, nor do they get any kind of special weapons besides knife skins. They just get the dlc cheaper and sooner. That's about it, plus the xp boost, but I have yet to play on one of those weekends, or use any of the boosts that I get from cases (at least when I played, stopped playing that broken pos months ago). Plants Vs Zombies Garden Warfare, is fun as hell and has Zero dlc. If you skip that game just because it's EA your missing out on a good time. My son and I have played that game for quite a few hours passing the controller back and forth since it released on PC. No DLC at all there, let alone p2w DLC. Everything is unlocked through coins earned in game. I'm right there with a lot of you being cautious about EA games. But it seems some of their divisions are way worse than others when it comes to adding it p2w crap. It certainly doesn't spread to every game. PVZ is also not a broken piece of crap though, like BF4 was/is.. I'd highly recommend that game. Probably why I'm all like "EA isn't all that bad" because if you would have asked me right after the BF4 launch I would have said something more like "F%&K EA!" and that was about it.

There's a post on the site that praises EA's free DLC for PvZ. But if you are willing to praise, you must be willing to criticise. The author in question has defended EA in the past, but that doesn't mean he can overlook their faults too mate

They really are the scum of the earth.Can't see this ending anytime soon.As long as they publish some of the best franchises out there,gamers will give them money.It's the devs that I feel for,getting dragged down to the sewers with them.No doubt there will be a article up over the next day or two with some fanny from EA defending there actions.The really are scumbags.

I agree this micro transactions in games you pay full price for are ridiculous. I have only ever bought one micro transaction at that was for war frame which is free to play i thought well £3;00 aint much and i didn't pay any money anyway. having said that i feel most free to play games would be better as games you buy so the game will be more enjoyable no wait times for thing no huge grinding i dont mind a bit of grinding and the stuff on free to play games are hugely overpriced thats why i only spent £3;00.

I can't wait for NHL 15, but with EA nickel and diming everything, I am getting a little cautious of what they will throw behind a paywall. I'll probably have to pay $1.99 to give my players sticks on the ice.

They don't force you to make the purchases. I'm a massive fifa ultimate team fan but I've never spent a penny on buying coins for it. The whole point of ultimate team is to build a good squad and I can only see it taking away the enjoyment if you buy the squad instantly. Same reason I won't be paying an extra £10 to get 40 free gold packs when Fifa 15 comes out. They definitely don't make it too big an advantage to spend money, most of the people who do are probably just poor at the game anyway. Never played someone good who has Ronaldo or Messi in their team.